According to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on her visit to San Diego, California today the United States’ Southern border is “more secure than ever before.” Her purpose was to show the good work that the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been doing to protect the border and ramp up security while still allowing legal travel. According to the CBP and ICE statistics, between 2009 and 2010, more than $282 million in illegal currency, 7 million pounds of drugs, and 6,900 weapons were seized.
While in San Diego, the Secretary met with local law enforcement and the National Guard troops. The National Guard troops are assisting the Border Patrol by working in high-risk areas to find and break up the organizations seeking to smuggle people and drugs into the United States. President Obama authorized 1,200 more National Guard troops to go to the Southern border in May. The good news according to the Secretary’s remarks today is that there was a 36 percent decrease in Border Patrol apprehensionsin 2010 showing that fewer people are attempting to cross the border. This logic however seems faulty because less apprehensions does not necessarily mean less illegal border crossings, it could also mean less illegal border crossings were caught.
To read more about Secretary Napolitano’s visit or find more statistics on the border security accomplishments go to: http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1287439266630.shtm
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